Friction-clutch.



- I R. M. Roos;

FRICTIN LUTGH.

Al// '\"l,

4,4 fa-52. anni;

Patented Jan 16,1912.

R. M. ROOF. FRICTION GLUTGH.

APPLIGATION FILED .TUN-E s, 1910. 1,01 5,250.

Patented Jan.16,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WI TNESSES:

A TTORNE Y UNITED srATns Y i i n the device will be compact, easy to install,

i ranged within a PATENT OFI-filon.

Fnro'iiioN-CLUTGH. ,p

1',015,25() Specification of Letters Patent.

` Application medium 8,1910. seriaiNo. 565,676.

rowA in Fig. l. Fig. is an enlarged l,detail To all whom lit may concern:

view of one of the separator wedges/re.

Beit known that I, y'Bonner M. Rooi, citi- Zen of the United, States, residing at Munn cie, in the county of Delaware and State of Indiana, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Friction-Clutches, of which the following is a specification.

a detached detail view of the grip members' havingja 'spring arranged in combination with the separator wedges. d In the form of embodimentl given my in- This invention relates to friction clutches. vention .in ythis specification thereof the and has especial reference to clutches of this `iin-imberwhich has connection with the'drivv type wherein opposed grip members are a'r-k Ving/shaft is shown as a 'fly wheel.- It. will driving member, and which grip members are adapted tobe separated to cause the motion' of the` driving member to be transmitted to the driven member;

Objects of my invention are to provide a clutch device of this character which will be dependable and effective in operation, :durable and not liable to get out of repair or adjustment. Y i y i Further objects of my invention are to effeet such improvements in construction, that while retaining the above desirable features applicable toy such adaptation, thus making kfor automobile mechanisms, or mechanisms -for othervpurp'oses'wherefa short coupled designate herein as a of twov half sections, designated as housing sides Aland A2. .Thesehalf-.sections are cone shaped4 and theirflanges are secured together by suitable bolts B. In the bore of the vinturned#y hub A3 cured thedriving shaftl C. isshouldered ,as shownv in Fig. 1. The drivenshaft D has the r`head portion VD1 enlarged diameter, andv inthe bore andk counter boreovf same are journaled the end ofthe a driving shaftand theV shoulder yportion-of` thehub A3 respectivelyj The hub A* of the v half section-A.2 has lits bore of diameter-suit* able to snugly fit butto permit free r:movement of the drivenshaft'l). Thefunction' of t-hei stuffing boX E 'that is carried on this hubisv to.. provide a'closed connectioniloe` tween the housing and the shaftAthereby and economical of manufacture.

'To accomplish the foregoing purposes, this invention consists'essentially of --a pair of opposed circular members securedf to-v gether at their peripheral portions, the hub of one of the said members `being adapted to be secured to the driving shaft,.oppo'sed shoes between said circular members and arranged to-be carried rotatively but free to move longitudinally on the driven shaft, connections between the vsaid shoes, and means operableV from outside the devicey to maintain the shoes in or out of engagement with thecircular members. j

My invent-ion further consistsk in theknew.

particlesy and improved construction, combination,

from the outside andv ing also prevent and `arrangement of parts described in this -l'LS'ltaIld UPC-Il' the insidev 0f hGhOUSIIg! specification, illustratedin theaccompany- Pushcpars vF and ares'eated slidingly in ingl drawings, and defined in the appended the S2111@ head '901.1101113l and each has the claims. tapered end F1 terminating at its rear end Similar characters of reference are I d d plied to the several parts of my improved Ypush bars being secured topa collarG. lThis clutch as they appear in the different views Collarl f- Whleh may be mounted in the drawings. f the; driven shaft D asf shown,

Figurel and` Fig. -2 are longitudinal cen- 'Studs G1 t0 aord proper connec l tral sectional views of my improved clutch, fOTl ,ends :Of a suitable shifting. lever KH. Someof the payes being Shown in elevation The function of the annular shoulder D? and partly broken away. Fig. 3is a trans-, versesectional view taken on the line 3-3 and viewed in the direction indicated by the arrow-in Fig. 1.. Fig: 4 is Yan endV view taken inthe direction indicated by fthe ar# the driven shaft `is tofaiford a check against which the housing side "A2 will bear when pushed'v into position k,when assembling the device. It also .acts as-a,braceto hold the Patented Jan. 16, 19112. y

moved. Fig. is/'a modification. .Figf is l bev obvious that the invention is especially? .f

it of especial utility where 'used as a-clut'chl ofthe half section A1 ,is sed' l The said` hub preventing lthe entry 'of dirtj and vforeign I theleaking away of the'lubricantthat in the flat facefFZ, the outer ends ofsad 1f Y 10o, SllC-lvllgly 0n` L Pf has suitable tin for the y ,direct vconnected and self contained clutch is I desired. @The driving member, which Lwill housing, iscom'posed 105. l.' i formed integral with the head portion of 'f driven shaft against longitudinal displacement when the clutch is operated as will be hereinafter described.

The friction members composed of opposed cones J having hubs of the substantial size as shown are mounted on the head portion D1- of the driven shaft so as to be movable slidingly but are held against rotative movement thereon, by the feathers K. The faces of these cones are machined so as to register throughout their extent with the machined internal faces of the half sections A1 and A2. On the inner faces of the cones are raised seats J1 which have the tongues J2. hese seats extend in a direction radial to the axial center of the device, and at such angle that there are formed wedge shaped spaces between the opposed seats. The said wedge shaped spaces are :filled by keystone shaped separator blocks or wedges L having grooves L1 which will be engaged by the said tongues J2. Carried by each of the separator wedges is an adjustment stud M. This stud is threaded and has a rounded head M1, and may be screwed through the threaded hole of the separator wedge to the desired adjusted position. It is intended that the position of this adjustment stud may be adjustedV without taking the housing apart. To accomplish this result semicircular recesses in the flanges of the sides of the housing, and which will register with each other', constitute the openings N. The angular head M2 of the adjustment stud may be engaged by a socket wrench passed through the opening N To render the adjustment stud capable of being locked at the adjusted position, the said stud has a central bore tapered to smaller diameter at its bottom. Near the end of the said central bore is a longitudinal slit M3 in the adjustment stud. In said central bore is the set screw O having the angular head O1. When the adjustment stud has been placed at desired position the set screw is screwed down which bulges the body of the stud sufficiently to make it hold rigidly in position. The openings N are closed by suitable caps N1.

A non-friction bearing between the tapered ends F1 of the push bars, and the heads M1 of the adjustment studs is effected by providing dogs yP and P having the rollers P1 therein, to bear against the faces of the push bars. .These dogs are carried by one of the cones J, as shown in Fig. l. The cones when in proper adjusted positions will be slightly apart from the housing sides and the heads of the adjustment studs will be in engagement with the dogs P. By the strong coil springs Q having their ends connected to the lugs on the inner sides of the cones the latter are urged toward each other, same being kept the proper distance apart by the separator wedges.

' My improved clutch may be in the form of a combination clutch and shaft coupling as shown wherein the head end of the driven shaft D has a bore of depth suiiicient to afford a substantial bearing for the end of the driving shaft, or it may be furnished without the bore for the driving shaft. In the 4latter case the driving shaft would have its connection solely in the hub of the housing side A1.

In assembling the device, the housing side A1 is first secured to the driving shaft, the push bars F are slipped into position in the channels therefor, their outer ends being passed underneath the annular shoulder D2. The cones J are then slipped onto the head portion D1 of the driven shaft, the grooves A5 permitting one of the cones to pass beyond the head ends of the push bars F. The separator wedges being between the seats J1, the springs Q are then hooked in into position. IVith the placement then of the shaft in the bore of the head end D1, the flanges of the housing sides will meet and will be secured together by the bolts B. By adjustment of the position of the separator wedges the width of the clearance R may be varied to accord to the throw desired by the shifting lever H. The outer ends of the push bars are then secured to the collar G and the mechanism is complete. A proper amount of lubricant is introduced, and by the caps l 1 the openings N are closed. The operative parts will be protected, and by the stuiiing box E and the shouldered construction shown at the junction of the driving shaft and the head end D1 leakage of the lubricant will be prevented.

Advantages gained by that besides being rugged and compact and having the parts inclosed, there is a minimum amount of machine work involved in the manufacture of the device. Large frictional areas are possible while the general bulk and size of the mechanism is comparatively small. It will be capable of easy adjustment and will be positive in action.

When the shifting lever H is moved the dogs moving on the tapered faces F1 of the push bars will move the wedges and expand the cones into braking or clutching engagement with the housing sides. The rollers P1 beingnow on the faces F2 all of the operative parts will remain immovable until by a reverse movement of the shifting lever the dogs are lowered to the position as shown in Fig. 1. By the force of the springs Q in drawing the cones toward each other the natural tendency of the wedges by centrifugal force to move outwardly will be overcome and the wedges will move inwardly, and the cones will be immediately disengaged from the housing. It is contemplated that in the larger sizes of clutches my invention are end of the driving i auxiliary springs S as shown in Fig. 7 may kio .understood that a sufficient amount of lubribe used to overcome the tendency Ofeentrifmeans lto y t friction shoes, ugal force tov move the wedges.) ltV will be to nieve the wedges,

'on the driven Yshaft,"wedges` between theH pull the frictionshoes yieldingly ltoward ,each other and s means carried by cating oil will be carried within the housing the driven shaft to move said wedges `toy so that there will be alwaysv sufficient lubriforce the frictionV shoes apart -v from each cant between the parts thatthey will work other and into locked engagement with the` positively and freely. housing", andfmeans to adjust the distanceY 4 `Where it is desired that the clutch shall betweeny the wedges ,and the wedge moving operate normally in the locked position means. v n. f rather, than in thelposition as shown, thent.. lclutch comprising a housinggc'oinu the modified form as lshown in Fig.` L6 rist posed of'coneeshapedhalf.sections secured used. In this modification the direction of togetherat theirwperiphgeralportions, ahub 'u the taper of the push barsy is reversed; A I for one of the said half sections adapted to strong spring T is placedy to operate between bel secured 'to l the driving'k shaft, "a driven ,the shifting lever the clutch will be operated.

the housing and tie collar YGr which will .hold the cones normally inclosed or locked engagement with the housingsides. yThe operation of this modified form of clutch will be such that witha slight nioveinentrof Nshaft having a bore in which the end of .fthe ,driving shaft slices .between-y ldriven shaft,

It' will be understood that the mechanism may be arranged with any suitable number of wedges, and the springs Q and that minor changes in the general formation and detailing of the several parts may be made without departing from the nature or spirit of my invention or sacrificing any of itsadvantages. Y 1

What "L claim as my invention vand desire to secure by Letters Patent, i`ss il 1. A clutch, comprising a circular housing composed of recessed half sections secured together at their peripheral portions, a khub for one of said halfvsections adapted tofbeY secured to the driving shaft, av driven shaft, friction-shoes between the said halfsections and mounted slidingly and non-rotatively. on the driven shaft, wedges between the friction shoes, means to pull the friction shoes-yieldingly toward each othery and to move the wedges, meansk carriedA by the driven shaft to move the said Wedges to force the friction shoes apart from each other and to locked engagement with the housing. A 4 i 2. A clutch,'comprising a circular housing composed of cone shaped half sections se-l cured together at their peripheral portions, a hub for one of said half sections adapted to be secured to the driving shaft, a driven shaft, friction shoes between the said half sections and mounted slidingly and nonrotatively on theA driven shaft, springs to pull thejfriction shoes toward yeach other, ineans'toovercome the tension of the springs and force the friction slices apart and into frictional contact with the half sections.

3. A clutch comprising a housing composed of cone shaped half sections secured together at their peripheral portions, aL hub for one of said half sections adapted yto beV secured to the driving shaft, a driven shaft, friction shoes between the said half` sections i and mounted slidingly and non-rotatively between'v the shoes, push bars carried .by the driven' shaft, and movable slidingly thereon and "having their ends tapered, connections between/,the wedges and the tapered ends of the push bars, l between thesaid connections and the tapered ends ofthe said pushbars;

5. A friction clutch, comprising a `circular housing composed of coneshaped half sections secured together, a half" sections, aldriving shaft secured `in the vsaid hub, a driven yshaft to -extend through the opposite half-section inwhich thel end ofthe ydriving shaft will have bearing, `opposed cone-shaped shoes non-rotatively, wedges pered push bars carried by the driven shaft and which extend outside of said housing, rollers betweenrthe ends of the wedges and the Atapered push bars, a collar mounted loosely on .the drivenshaft and to e, which l collar theouter ends f the pushI bars are ceive connections for a shiftinglever.

housing composed of cone-shaped ha'lfsec-V dial 'openings in the said housing, meansto secure :the half sections together, a driven shaft to extend nijnto the housing,

`mounted slidingly and non-rotatively oni the 'Y tions secured together,

will have bearing, friction the said half sectionsand*4 mounted slidingly and non-rotatively en the.,l K l means to urge the friction,4 shoes yieldingly tovvardeacli other, wedgesV f hub for one of said and having a bore A y i 6. Afriction clutch, comprising a'circular,

tionsrecessed at their edges to provide rae opposed .cone shapedy shoes'l .90d means to vary the distance i lVA mounted on4 the driven shaft slidingly1 and A between the said shoes, springs to connectl the said shoes, taf 105,

l secured and whichcol'lar'is adapted to vre- `iis peripheral portion of dogs caried by 0116.01? i i v'7. A friction clutch, eomprisingfa circular i housing composed of cone shapedl half sec- 'v a:v hub for one of the 130i 1 12o?, driven shaft, wedges between the said slices,

said half sections, a driving shaft secured to the said hub, a driven shaft to extend through the opposite half section and having a bore in which the end of the driving shaft will have bearing, a packing box to forni a closure between the driven shaft and the last'nained half section, opposed Cone shaped shoes inounted on the driven shaftslidingly and non-rotatively, wedges between the said shoes, springs to connect said shoes, tapered push bars carried by the driven shaft and disposed slidingly in channels therein and which extend outside of said housing, rollers between the ends of the wedges and the tapered push bars, a collar mounted loosely on the driven shaft and to which the outer ends of the push bars are secured and which collar is adapted to receive connections for a shifting lever.

8. A friction clutch, coniprising a circular housing composed of cone-shaped half secv tions recessed at their edges to provide radial openings in the peripheral portion of said ousing, ineans to secure the half sections Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing closure between the driven shaft and the housing, opposed cone-shaped shoes mounted slidingly and non-rotatively on the driven shaft, wedges between the said shoes, a stud having a threaded bore and being slit longitudinally and threaded externally and screwed through each of said wedges, a threaded stein screwed into the bore of said studs, tapered push rods movable longitudinally of the driven shaft, dogs carried by one of said cone shaped shoes and having their free ends to engage the inner ends of said studs, rollers in the ends of said dogs to bear against said tapered push rods.

In testimony whereof I aiiix iny signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT M. ROOF.

Vitnesses FRANK E. HILL, THOMAS L. RYAN.

the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

